Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

Just like anything else in life, there are times when we can get addicted to something. In the case of deadlines, this can be especially true.

Here is one way that you can help yourself and the team to identify, first of all, if the deadline that has been instituted can even be met.

This particular way of measuring can only be done once the project has started.

Burn down chart:

1. Break the project into tasks and assign a point value to each task, such as how many hours the task should take.

2. Figure out how many points your team is accomplishing per week, and you can project out to when the project will finish. If projected completion is past the due date, you’re doomed.

3. If the project is visibly off-track, you can try to brainstorm a half-dozen actions within your power to bring it back on track.

4. Have you given up bull sessions and web-surfing, put in reasonable overtime, tried to offload non-project work, and every other reasonable step?
 
If you discover after these steps that you're still fated to not meet the deadline, don't worry, you've faced the problem and came up with an answer.

The reason this can help to set you and your team free is because now you can relax and not make the deadline the goal, but get back to working on the project and putting your attention where it belongs.

What it does is to set people free and they stop pushing and shoving and hoping and grunting and groaning, and in place of that begin to take steps to solve the problem at hand.

When you find a deadline won't be met, it's not the end of the world, but can be a liberating experience that takes your attention off of that dark cloud and back on on the project. The biggest step is to measure and face the reality of the time-table before you.

What have you done when you've found out your deadlines aren't going to be met?